The present invention relates to an apparatus for mounting a photographic film transparency into a slide mount.
Photographic film transparencies are generally severed from a photographic film web and mounted in individual slide mounts to prepare photographic slides for use with a slide projector or other visualizing means. In particular, slide mounting apparatus have developed to continuously mount a plurality of film transparencies into slide mounts stored for operation in a slide magazine.
The photographic film web is generally supported along a film track of the slide mounting apparatus. The film web is advanced along the film track to a knife assembly where individual film transparencies are severed from the entire photographic film web. The severed film transparencies are then inserted into slide mounts ejected from the slide magazine by a slide ejector. The slide mounts are formed of upper and lower frame sections to form a pocket therebetween and include an insertion opening through which the film transparency is guided for placement into the pocket of the slide mount.
It is important to completely insert the severed film transparency into the slide mount so that the edges of the film transparency are aligned with corresponding edges of the slide mount and the exposed image thereof is centered within an aperture of the slide mount. If the film transparency is not properly inserted and aligned between the upper and lower frame sections of the slide mount, the exposed image of the film transparency inserted may not be correctly aligned with the aperture of the slide mount or alternatively, the film may buckle within the slide mount. Thus, it is important to control the automated insertion of the film transparency into the slide mount by the slide mounting apparatus.
Thus, there has been a continuing need to develop an apparatus to provide controlled operation for insertion of a film transparency into a slide mount.